John Burnetthttp://www.kplu.org
enWimberley Residents Leery Of River Weeks After Devastating Floodshttp://www.kplu.org/post/wimberley-residents-reluctant-return-weeks-after-devastating-floods
Today, nearly two weeks after the catastrophic Memorial Day floods in Texas, search crews are still combing the banks of the Blanco River looking for three people who remain missing. They've already found eight bodies.<p>Meanwhile, residents of the tourist and retirement town of Wimberley, Texas, hit hardest by the flood, are cleaning up and struggling to reclaim their lives.<p>The Wimberley Lion's Club went ahead with its monthly Market Days fair on Saturday. They're giving away bumper stickers that say "#WimberleyStrong" in exchange for a flood donation.Sat, 06 Jun 2015 21:26:00 +0000John Burnett26724 at http://www.kplu.orgWimberley Residents Leery Of River Weeks After Devastating Floods'They're Not Gang Members': Bikers Protest Mass Arrests In Wacohttp://www.kplu.org/post/theyre-not-gang-members-bikers-protest-mass-arrests-waco
Authorities in Waco, Texas, continue to investigate the deaths of nine motorcycle gang members in one of the<a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/18/407536778/9-dead-after-shootout-between-rival-bike-gangs-in-central-texas"> worst biker brawls in recent times</a>.Sat, 23 May 2015 12:23:00 +0000John Burnett26292 at http://www.kplu.org'They're Not Gang Members': Bikers Protest Mass Arrests In Waco9 Dead After Shootout Between Rival Biker Gangs In Central Texashttp://www.kplu.org/post/9-dead-after-shootout-between-rival-bike-gangs-central-texas
A brawl among as many as five rival motorcycle gangs turned deadly on Sunday in Waco, Texas. Nine bikers were killed and 18 injured at a popular sports bar frequented by the gangs. No bystanders or employees were hurt.<p>Waco police said trouble had been brewing at the Twin Peaks bar and grill for some time. Bikers had been congregating there in ever-increasing numbers, and there had been more and more arrests for fights and weapons. Authorities had intelligence that there was a high potential for violence on Sunday. And they were right.<p>About 12:15 p.m.Mon, 18 May 2015 05:15:00 +0000John Burnett26105 at http://www.kplu.org9 Dead After Shootout Between Rival Biker Gangs In Central TexasHow Texas Ranchers Try To Clinch The Perfect Rib-Eyehttp://www.kplu.org/post/how-texas-ranchers-try-clinch-perfect-ribeye
We're heading into grilling season, which means breaking out the burgers and brats.Thu, 23 Apr 2015 19:16:00 +0000John Burnett25308 at http://www.kplu.orgHow Texas Ranchers Try To Clinch The Perfect Rib-EyeNewly Released Texas Inmates Prepare For A Long Ride To Freedomhttp://www.kplu.org/post/newly-released-texas-inmates-prepare-long-ride-freedom
Last year, 21,000 inmates were released in Huntsville, Texas — one of the largest prison towns in America. For most of them, their gateway to the free world is the Huntsville Greyhound station.<p>Monday through Friday, the glass doors swing open on the front of the Civil War-era, red-brick prison they call "The Walls." The inmates exit and shuffle along the sidewalk, some smiling, some pensive, shouldering potato sacks full of belongings.Sun, 12 Apr 2015 09:25:00 +0000John Burnett24911 at http://www.kplu.orgNewly Released Texas Inmates Prepare For A Long Ride To FreedomMatamoros Becomes Ground Zero As Drug War Shifts On Mexican Borderhttp://www.kplu.org/post/matamoros-becomes-ground-zero-drug-war-shifts-mexican-border
Matamoros, which sits across the bridge from Brownsville, Texas, used to be a laid-back border town famed for margaritas and manufacturing.<p>But for at least the past five years, it's grown more and more violent: first, when the Zetas broke away from the Gulf Cartel, and more recently as a new feud has broken out between two factions within the Gulf.<p>It's the current hot spot in the mafia wars that seem to shift every few years up and down the U.S.-Mexico border.Wed, 01 Apr 2015 18:55:00 +0000John Burnett24539 at http://www.kplu.orgMatamoros Becomes Ground Zero As Drug War Shifts On Mexican BorderClosure Of Private Prison Forces Texas County To Plug Financial Gaphttp://www.kplu.org/post/closure-private-prison-forces-texas-county-plug-financial-gap
The Willacy County Correctional Center is empty now. The tall security fences and dome-like housing units set out on the coastal prairie have no one inside them.<p>One morning late last month, the prisoners rioted. They set fires and tore the place up. Guards put down the uprising in about five hours. But the destruction was so severe that the sprawling detention compound has been shut down.Thu, 26 Mar 2015 07:49:00 +0000John Burnett24321 at http://www.kplu.orgClosure Of Private Prison Forces Texas County To Plug Financial GapExcitement Over Mexico's Shale Fizzles As Reality Sets Inhttp://www.kplu.org/post/excitement-over-mexicos-shale-play-fizzles-reality-sets
The prolific shale formation that has <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/04/10/295332292/drilling-frenzy-fuels-sudden-growth-in-small-texas-town">made people rich in South Texas</a> doesn't stop at the Rio Grande, as U.S. maps seem to indicate.<p>"The geology doesn't change when you cross that little 20-foot-deep river," says Brandon Seale, president of San Antonio-based Howard Energy Mexico.Mon, 16 Mar 2015 19:23:00 +0000John Burnett23972 at http://www.kplu.orgExcitement Over Mexico's Shale Fizzles As Reality Sets InHopes Soar As Drone Enthusiasts Greet New Rule Proposalhttp://www.kplu.org/post/hopes-soar-drone-enthusiasts-greet-new-rule-proposal
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Hopes+Soar+As+Drone+Enthusiasts+Greet+New+Rule+Proposal&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA1NTU5NzI4MDEyODAxNzA2NDdhODNkZg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: <p>The Federal Aviation Administration has made its long-awaited announcement of how unmanned aerial vehicles - drones - should be regulated in the U.S. Drone operators have greeted the proposed rules with enormous relief.Mon, 16 Feb 2015 21:00:00 +0000John Burnett23007 at http://www.kplu.orgA Texas Community Takes On Racial Tensions Once Hidden Under The Surfacehttp://www.kplu.org/post/community-takes-racial-tensions-once-hidden-under-surface
<em>This is the second story in a two-part report on the Mueller neighborhood for the <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/155914958/npr-cities" target="_blank">NPR Cities Project</a>. You can find <a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/02/12/385474414/with-porches-and-parks-a-texas-community-aims-for-urban-utopia" target="_blank">part one here</a>. </em><p>The idea behind "new urbanism" is that a planned environment, designed with pedestrians and social interaction in mind, can create a meaningful community.<p>The celebrated Mueller project in Austin, Texas, is one such place.Fri, 13 Feb 2015 08:33:00 +0000John Burnett22893 at http://www.kplu.orgA Texas Community Takes On Racial Tensions Once Hidden Under The SurfaceWith Porches And Parks, A Texas Community Aims For Urban Utopiahttp://www.kplu.org/post/porches-and-parks-texas-community-aims-urban-utopia
<em>This is the first story in a two-part report on the Mueller neighborhood for the <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/155914958/npr-cities" target="_blank">NPR Cities Project</a>. </em><p>In Texas, a state where cars and private property are close to a religion, there is an acclaimed master-planned community that's trying something different.<p>When Austin's municipal airport closed 16 years ago, it created a planner's dream: 700 acres of prime real estate close to the city core.Thu, 12 Feb 2015 23:26:00 +0000John Burnett22881 at http://www.kplu.orgWith Porches And Parks, A Texas Community Aims For Urban UtopiaPlanning Through Oil Booms Helps Small Producers Weather The Bustshttp://www.kplu.org/post/planning-through-oil-booms-helps-independent-drillers-weather-busts
Hard times have hit the oil fields. A barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude has dropped from a high of over $100 to less than $50. But Tracy Perryman, a small oilman in Luling, Texas, has learned how to survive the lean times.<p>Oil companies that take on a lot of debt sometimes don't survive the downturns.Thu, 05 Feb 2015 22:48:00 +0000John Burnett22574 at http://www.kplu.orgPlanning Through Oil Booms Helps Small Producers Weather The BustsBeefed-Up Border Security Proposal Unsettles Texas Business Leadershttp://www.kplu.org/post/beefed-border-security-proposal-unsettles-texas-business-leaders
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Beefed-Up+Border+Security+Proposal+Unsettles+Texas+Business+Leaders&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAyMTY5Njg0MDEyMjQ2OTQ4NjVhMTAyZg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: <p>A tough border security bill introduced in Congress has produced a fierce backlash among business leaders and politicians in south Texas.Wed, 28 Jan 2015 23:20:00 +0000John Burnett22248 at http://www.kplu.orgAn Army Chaplain, First Tested By War, Finds His Faith Renewedhttp://www.kplu.org/post/army-chaplain-first-tested-war-finds-his-faith-renewed
David Peters' life was supposed to be one continuous arc of piety and service.<p>But for the U.S. Army chaplain, it's ended up a more circuitous route. Peters lost the very faith he was supposed to embody for his soldiers — but has also found his way back.<p>Peters grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical church in Pennsylvania, served as youth minister and then went to war in Baghdad as a chaplain in the U.S. Army in 2005.<p>At the age of 30, he was serving as a chaplain for the 62nd Engineer Combat Battalion, a unit that built guard towers and repaired roads.Tue, 06 Jan 2015 21:54:00 +0000John Burnett21364 at http://www.kplu.orgAn Army Chaplain, First Tested By War, Finds His Faith RenewedFor Cubans In Key West, A Longing To Fill In 'Gaps Of Who We Are'http://www.kplu.org/post/cubans-key-west-longing-fill-gaps-who-we-are
Like Cuban-American families throughout the diaspora, the Garcias of Key West, Fla., gather on <em>Noche</em> <em>Buena</em>, or Christmas Eve, to catch up on news and eat a traditional meal of <em>lechón</em>, or roast pig.<p>Wayne Garcia, a local building contractor and artist, prepared the pork for the family feast this year. He smokes it for seven hours in a hole dug in his backyard, in a style he says was passed down from his great-grandparents.<p>"The secret to this is that we use guava branches from the guava tree to give it a smoke taste," he says.Sat, 27 Dec 2014 14:41:00 +0000John Burnett21058 at http://www.kplu.orgFor Cubans In Key West, A Longing To Fill In 'Gaps Of Who We Are'Businesses Buzz With Anticipation In Wake Of U.S.-Cuba Thawhttp://www.kplu.org/post/businesses-buzz-anticipation-wake-us-cuba-thaw
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Businesses+Buzz+With+Anticipation+In+Wake+Of+U.S.-Cuba+Thaw&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA5MzE4MDYzMDEzMzQyNTcyNTY4NDMyNw001)"/></div><p>Fri, 26 Dec 2014 21:26:00 +0000John Burnett21046 at http://www.kplu.orgIn Miami, Mixed Emotions Over Release Of Cuban Spieshttp://www.kplu.org/post/miami-mixed-emotions-over-release-cuban-spies
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=In+Miami%2C+Mixed+Emotions+Over+Release+Of+Cuban+Spies&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAyOTk4OTc0MDEyNzcxNDIzMTZjM2E3Zg004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>JOHN BURNETT, BYLINE: I'm John Burnett in Miami. News of the trade of the three Cuban intelligence agents made a big splash in this city, where the spies were convicted for infiltrating well-known, local anti-Castro groups.Tue, 23 Dec 2014 21:21:00 +0000John Burnett20945 at http://www.kplu.orgBorn In The U.S. But Turned Back At The Border, Time After Timehttp://www.kplu.org/post/born-us-turned-back-border-time-after-time
Maria Isabel de la Paz is a 30-year-old Houstonian who works at a Chick-fil-A. She holds the distinction of being a U.S. citizen who was prevented for a dozen years from entering the United States.<p>Her case is at the heart of what immigrant advocates say is wrong with U.S. immigration enforcement — that deportations are increasingly being handled by federal agents at the border, rather than in immigration court. The practice is not necessarily illegal, but critics say it is fundamentally unfair.<p>De la Paz was born in the U.S.Fri, 12 Dec 2014 10:18:00 +0000John Burnett20534 at http://www.kplu.orgBorn In The U.S. But Turned Back At The Border, Time After TimeLegal Pot In The U.S. May Be Undercutting Mexican Marijuanahttp://www.kplu.org/post/legal-pot-us-may-be-undercutting-mexican-marijuana
Made-in-America marijuana is on a roll. More than half the states have now voted to permit pot for recreational or medical use, most recently Oregon and Alaska. That number also includes the District of Columbia. As a result, Americans appear to be buying more domestic marijuana, which in turn is undercutting growers and cartels in Mexico.<p>"Two or three years ago, a kilogram [2.2 pounds] of marijuana was worth $60 to $90," says Nabor, a 24-year-old pot grower in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. "But now they're paying us $30 to $40 a kilo. It's a big difference. If the U.S.Mon, 01 Dec 2014 22:01:00 +0000John Burnett20129 at http://www.kplu.orgLegal Pot In The U.S. May Be Undercutting Mexican MarijuanaThe Texas Road Food Takeover: Smoked, Fried And Tex-Mexhttp://www.kplu.org/post/texas-road-food-takeover-smoked-fried-and-tex-mex
Recently, a friend and I rode bicycles from Brownsville, Texas, to Oklahoma, 738 miles from the Rio Grande to the Red River, just for the hell of it. Naturally, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/10/14/354926634/bike-like-a-pro-athlete-eat-like-a-pig">eating was the highlight</a> of the journey. The trip turned into a 13-mph tour of Texas's evolving food geography.<p>What we learned is that Texas road grub today falls into three basic groups: Tex-Mex, barbecue and fried convenience-store fare.Wed, 15 Oct 2014 17:02:45 +0000John Burnett19058 at http://www.kplu.orgBike Like A Pro Athlete, Eat Like A Pighttp://www.kplu.org/post/bike-pro-athlete-eat-pig
Last month, a friend and I rode bicycles 738 miles up the spine of Texas from the Rio Grande to the Red River, dodging oilfield trucks and yipping Chihuahua dogs.<p>All that pedaling had us burning about 5,000 to 5,500 calories every day.Tue, 14 Oct 2014 17:02:35 +0000John Burnett19028 at http://www.kplu.orgBike Like A Pro Athlete, Eat Like A PigFrom A Stream To A Flood: Migrant Kids Overwhelm U.S. Border Agentshttp://www.kplu.org/post/stream-flood-migrant-kids-overwhelm-us-border-agents
Like a marathoner at the end of a grueling race, 16-year-old Jorge Romero sits on the grass, exhausted. A county constable has detained him about a hundred yards from the Rio Grande.<p>For a month, Romero traveled from El Salvador through Mexico to Texas, avoiding predatory police and gangs, warding off mosquitoes and hunger.<p>Migrants like Romero are creating a humanitarian crisis for federal border authorities.Fri, 20 Jun 2014 20:50:52 +0000John Burnett17302 at http://www.kplu.orgFrom A Stream To A Flood: Migrant Kids Overwhelm U.S. Border AgentsOpen Carry Activists Bear Arms In The Streets — And Chipotlehttp://www.kplu.org/post/open-carry-activists-bear-arms-streets-and-chipotle
As part of the open carry movement, some gun rights activists in Texas have been carrying loaded rifles into restaurants to assert their second amendment rights. A growing list of national chains has pushed back, though, instituting no-guns policies in response. Even the National Rifle Association has publicly rebuked the Texas long-gun enthusiasts. NPR's John Burnett covers a street demonstration by a particularly aggressive chapter of the open carry movement in Fort Worth, Texas. <div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2014 NPR.Fri, 06 Jun 2014 20:58:18 +0000John Burnett17025 at http://www.kplu.orgCan A Television Network Be A Church? The IRS Says Yeshttp://www.kplu.org/post/can-television-network-be-church-irs-says-yes
Flip on <a href="http://www.daystar.com">Daystar</a> television at any hour of the day and you'll likely see the elements of modern televangelism: a stylish set, an emotional spiritual message and a phone number on the screen soliciting donations.<p>Based in a studio complex between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and broadcasting to a potential audience of 2 billion people around the globe, Daystar calls itself the fastest growing Christian television network in the world.<p>The Internal Revenue Service considers Daystar something else: a church.<p>Televangelists have a choice when they deal wiTue, 01 Apr 2014 20:22:02 +0000John Burnett15573 at http://www.kplu.orgCan A Television Network Be A Church? The IRS Says YesAt The Border, The Drugs Go North And The Cash Goes Southhttp://www.kplu.org/post/border-drugs-go-north-and-cash-goes-south
The international drug trade goes in two directions: Narcotics go north and money goes south. All the drug profits made on the streets of U.S. cities like Chicago and Atlanta and Dallas are funneled down to ports of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border where they're smuggled back into Mexico. In 2012, one federal agency alone, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, seized $411 million in cash hidden in vehicles, mostly heading south.<p>Once the bundles of U.S. banknotes are delivered to the cartel, the money flows in many directions.Thu, 20 Mar 2014 16:31:01 +0000John Burnett15080 at http://www.kplu.orgAt The Border, The Drugs Go North And The Cash Goes SouthFor Snake-Handling Preacher, 10th Bite Proves Fatalhttp://www.kplu.org/post/snake-handling-preacher-10th-bite-proves-fatal
Pastor Jamie Coots, a 42-year-old Pentecostal preacher and third-generation snake handler from Middlesboro, Ky., spoke to NPR in October about his unusual way of leading church services.<p>"We sing, we preach, we testify, take up offerings, pray for the sick, you know, everything like everybody else does," he said.Tue, 18 Feb 2014 04:38:20 +0000John Burnett13748 at http://www.kplu.orgFor Snake-Handling Preacher, 10th Bite Proves FatalTo Stave Off Decline, Churches Attract New Members With Beerhttp://www.kplu.org/post/stave-decline-churches-attract-new-members-beer
With mainline religious congregations dwindling across America, a scattering of churches is trying to attract new members by creating a different sort of Christian community. They are gathering around craft beer.<p>Some church groups are brewing it themselves, while others are bring the Holy Mysteries to a taproom.Sun, 03 Nov 2013 18:20:47 +0000John Burnett10794 at http://www.kplu.orgTo Stave Off Decline, Churches Attract New Members With BeerWynton Marsalis Goes Back To Church For 'Abyssinian Mass'http://www.kplu.org/post/wynton-marsalis-goes-back-church-abyssinian-mass
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t19NYuoYJg</p><p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufjmxjian3c</p>Sat, 19 Oct 2013 21:00:59 +0000John Burnett10567 at http://www.kplu.orgWynton Marsalis Goes Back To Church For 'Abyssinian Mass'Texas Seeks New Water Supplies Amid Droughthttp://www.kplu.org/post/texas-seeks-new-water-supplies-amid-drought
The punishing seven-year drought of the 1950s in Texas brought about the modern era of water planning. But the drought of 2011 was the hottest, driest 12 months on record there.<p>Though only a handful of towns saw their water sources dry up last summer, it got so bad that cities, industries and farmers began to think the unthinkable: Would they run out of water?<p>With the state's population expected to double by 2060, Texas must begin an expensive and politically charged search for new water sources.Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:24:43 +0000John Burnett5540 at http://www.kplu.orgTexas Seeks New Water Supplies Amid Drought